


A Snowflake Fell

by Nedmons



Category: Real Person Fiction, WikiLeaks RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drama, Eddie and Chelsea are whistleblowers in this fic as in life but with different outcomes., Friendship/Love, Mentions of past abuse, Multi, Open Relationships, Past Relationship(s), Power Dynamics, Secrets, This is not a student/teacher relationship.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:14:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21995848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nedmons/pseuds/Nedmons
Summary: The whistleblowers go to university.This is probably going to be my one and only work featuring Juliard Assangeden as slash.
Relationships: Chelsea Manning & Original Female Character(s), Julian Assange & Sarah Harrison & Kristinn Hrafnsson, Julian Assange/Edward Snowden, Lindsay Mills/Edward Snowden
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> The following is a work of fiction. Though set in an actual school in the United States, not all the whistleblowers, journalists, and Cypherpunks have attended, and any resemblances to actual students and personnel are merely coincidental. But, doesn’t it hurt to imagine?
> 
> Collaboration between me and a good friend from Tumblr.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of school.
> 
> Meet the characters: Team WikiLeaks (past and present) as faculty, a couple computer geeks as ITs, a freed whistleblower as a Political Science student, a French exchange student learning about the American life, a mysterious third-year who lives up to her name, and so much more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter originally from [https://weird-hogwartsrus.tumblr.com/post/179530565920/a-snowflake-fell-new-beginnings](https://neddie-ramone.tumblr.com/post/179530565920/a-snowflake-fell-new-beginnings)

It was the start of September, the first day of the Fall semester at the University of California, Berkeley. Every year, more than 35,000 students pushed the doors to the world of Advanced Studies. Students of different horizons, taking on such areas as Law, Natural Resources, Business, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Public Health, Psychology, Mathematics, History, the Arts, and even Journalism, in their journey to find their vocation. For this, the campus was rife with activity, from the first-year student orientation at Sproul Plaza and club rush just around the corner, to the Berkeleyians heading to and from their classes.

Meanwhile, at Dwinelle Hall, those who were fortunate to not get lost in the maze between offices and classrooms, and managed through the crowd surrounding the two lecture halls, stood by the doorways, while others settled into the rooms. Until the classes in the lecture halls ended, the crowd sat on the benches, leaned by the double-doors, walls, and tables, and huddled in the hallway. Eventually, at the 14th hour (2 pm), the double-doors opened, and the students from those classes gushed out, mixing in with the incoming masses.

Without further ado, over 100 students went in to fill the seats of Dwinelle 145. This happened to be the larger of the two lecture halls, so along with the students making their way down towards the front, those who entered through the bottom doors made their way up towards the back. Already, some students were speaking and meeting each other, while the more introverted types sat and waited for the start of class. Five minutes in, though, as more students continued to arrive, one of the introverts, who found a seat at the middle rows, knocked down her pen on the floor.

“ _Merde!_ ” she said.

A dark-haired student a seat away picked up the pen and handed it back to her.

“ _Merci._ ” She took the pen.

The neighbour faced the stage to see if the professor was there (he wasn’t yet), before turning back to her.

“Hey…are you…” she asked.

“French.”

“Yeah…” she nodded sheepishly. “Are you…new here?”

“Yep, I’m studying abroad for the year. And you?”

“This will be my third year here…”

The French girl extended an arm towards the neighbour. “Anyways, my name’s Loraine.”

“Ramona.” The two girls shook hands, and the space between them was gone.

“If you need a friend, I’ll be around.”

At exactly Berkeley Time (ten minutes after the hour) the professor arrived, a tall middle aged man with lush white hair and kind dark-blue eyes. He walked up to a wooden table and swivel chair set at the stage, taking out a laptop and several stacks of papers from his bag and placing them there. Upon seeing the audience, he cleared his throat and spoke with a deep masculine voice tinted with an Australian accent.

“Alright everyone! Silence please.”

The lecture hall fell silent in seconds. Then, the students took out their papers and pens or their computers to take notes. At the same time, the course syllabus from the table was being distributed, and a sign-in sheet was passed around to everyone present.

“Hello and welcome to Berkeley. After all, congratulations to you,” greeted the professor. “Selection was severe, but you passed it. Congratulations again. So, how many of you are first-years?”

About a third of the room raised their hands. Fresh from orientation.

“Which one of you are taking this class for a major?”

Over half the room, including some of the first-years.

“Which leaves the rest are taking it for fun…”

“Pretty much,” commented Loraine and Ramona among themselves.

“So my name is Julian Assange and I will be your Political Science teacher this year. The course is POLSCI 5, Introduction to International Relations. It is a prerequisite for the Political Science major. However, for those who are not majoring in the field, I hope this class will be of use in life. So let’s start with…”

He was trying to turn on bCourses, the school’s official learning system, on his laptop, to no avail. No amount of Australian slang could better the situation.

“Excuse me… I see that technology is not always a sign of an easier life.”

Some students laughed to his joke. _Thank God I didn’t connect my computer to the projector_ , he thought, _that would be embarrassing._ After some long minutes of fighting with the website, the teacher grumbled and took out more papers from his bag.

“Happily I’ve written my speech on notes. Why did I listen to my friends who recommended me Canvas as a Revolution?”

Some more laughter.

During less than an hour, Professor Assange explained the class schedule, discussion sections, grading, DSP (Disabled Students Program) accomodations, and much more the students needed to know about POLSCI 5.

“Nothing more to say… Any questions?”

“So nothing’s due this week?” asked Loraine. Next to her, Ramona’s eyes were fixed upon something on the syllabus, and some of the other students whispered in unease.

The professor, upon this question, took some air.

“No, nothing is due. However, you’ll be expected to have the books listed in the syllabus by the end of the week. Class dismissed.”

As the 15th hour (3 pm) arrived, the students made a mass exodus at the door. Usually, his lectures would be one hour and 30 minutes (so, 2:00-3:30 pm), Mondays and Wednesdays, but he dismissed the class early in order to resolve the issue. Once the students were finally gone, Julian sighed and let himself fall on the swivel chair. Minutes later, he picked up a phone fixed to the wall and called the IT department.

* * *

Technical Service was campus wide. The one he called, coincidentally, was located in a room on the Ground Floor of Dwinelle Hall. Present in the room were two young, bespectacled men. One had raven-coloured hair and was sat on a chair in front of a computer, drinking a cup of coffee, and the other had pale features and was studying the insides of a cellphone he took apart. Silence was broken when the room phone (which was well whole) rang. 

“Let’s start the year…” said the man with the coffee, standing and going to the phone. “Technical Service, hello.”

“Hello, this is Julian Assange. I need help figuring out Canvas…”

“I’ll send you someone. What room? …ok thanks.”

And hung up the phone.

“Eddie, Professor Assange needs a _slave_ for his computer…” he called up his pale companion, interrupting him from whatever he was going to do with the cellphone parts.

“Jake, don’t speak like this…” Eddie paled further, if that was even possible.

“I’ve got reasons… Do you want to go? I don’t want to see his cadaveric face…”

“Why are you so rude?”

“Listen, Edward,” Jake warned him, this time referring by his real name. “You’ve just arrived at Berkeley. I’m here since many years, and I know how this type of teacher see us.”

“I’m pretty sure not all are like this.”

“The majority…”

“And there’s a minority who are nice…“ the pale man took a pause, before deciding to pick up the phone parts and place them in a Ziplock. “Anyways, I’ll go, this is my first mission of the year.” He then took his belongings and left the room.

* * *

The walk from the IT office to the destination was not particularly strenuous for Edward, as they were both in the same building and level, and he did not have to go through the labyrinth. Compared to an hour ago, the hallway was fairly quiet. A dark-haired student, presumably from the POLSCI 5 lecture, passed by him, before heading out the building. In no time, he arrived Dwinelle 145, and opened the double-doors to an empty lecture hall and a frustrated white-haired professor.

“Professor Assange?” he asked once he stepped inside. He let the doors close behind him.

“Yes?” responded the professor.

“I’m from the IT office.” He continued his way down to the front.

“Oh yes! So I have a problem with Canvas. It’s the first time I use it, and I don’t understand how it works…”

 _Oh, he means bCourses_ , Edward made a mental note, as he climbed up the stage. _It is still based on the Canvas platform, and some instructors will refer it as such… Okay, I’ll help him._

“I’ll show you. It’s not difficult.”

The Aussie professor looked at the younger man. _I don’t remember this face_ , he searched in his mind, _He could be new at the Uni._ He knew Jacob, the other IT guy. He was a very interesting person, but very cold because of his bad relations with professors. Most of them looked down on him because of the fact they had masters and doctoral degrees, and they saw him as a simple nerd who has touched more computers than women. Not a lot of them took the time to know him better, the more flamboyant self. But the one in the room was so _trusting_.

“It was going well yesterday when Kristinn and Sarah introduced me to the site,” Julian told Edward his issue. “But when I tried to use it again for today, I could not find the class!”

The other man ran a hand through his hair. “Let me write down the link. Do you have a pen?”

Julian passed Edward a black pen and one of the papers he used as notes. As soon as he handed back the note, the professor’s eyes were wide with surprise, “Ah, I was on the Canvas site. No wonder I couldn’t find my class.”

Yet, he had even more questions. In particular, the assignments.

“Ah, yes…” said the young man.

For a good 30 minutes or so, Edward explained Julian how to upload the class files to “Modules” (after finding out that the Aussie had actually uploaded them while with “Sarah” and “Kristinn”, he needed explain “Modules” no more), post and grade the assignments (a bit like posting to a website), among others. The professor was finally getting the hang of bCourses.

“Anyways, if you need more assistance, here is my contact information.” He wrote one last time on the note, before finally handing the pen and paper back to the professor.

As Edward made his way back up to the double-doors, Julian couldn’t help but notice the back of the hoodie he wore that day. The logo was a spoof of a national security agency, and the eagle was wearing headphones used for eavesdropping, its eyes an ominous glow. _I should know more about him…_

* * *

Julian was tidying his stuff when a very familiar voice called him from the left bottom door.

“Is this POLSCI 5?!”

The Aussie played the game.

“You’re late!”

The familiar voice belonged to a British woman named Sarah Harrison, a young, curly-haired blonde with a gap-toothed smile and kind light green eyes, who taught the art of Journalism. Accompanying her was a white-haired, strong-shouldered Icelandic man named Kristinn Hrafnsson, who taught History of Journalism for the Media Studies department. He let them in.

“Julian, what took you so long?” exclaimed Kristinn.

“Sorry mates, that programme kept me here for hours…”

“It’s easy,” said Sarah.

“Because you know how to use it,” bantered Julian. “Anyways, I had to call Technical Service for assistance. They sent me an _angel._ ”

Sarah and Kristinn looked at Julian in confusion. _What angel?_

“I have not heard of him either,” he told them.

“There’s Appelbaum,” the three professors nodded in agreement, “but I don’t know if he fits the bill…”

“Anyways, this angel left me his contact info before he left.” Julian handed them the note.

“What IT guy gives out their PGP key?” asked Kristinn.

“Edward Snowden,” answered Sarah. “I happened to meet him at the Free Speech Movement café. Nice lad, but ended up leaving the place because it was too crowded,” she looked up from the paper, “Apparently, this is the only way he communicates…”

“Oh great,” Julian huffed in slight annoyance. “If I have to hear any more snark from Jacob over the phone…”

“Aw, don’t be too hard on the IT people, they aren’t always like that.”

“If you insist.”

Julian had wanted to explain to his friends why he didn’t get along with the other IT guy…but nothing came out. Awkward silence.

Suddenly, Kristinn said, “Well, I’ve got quite the class this semester.”

“Me too,” chimed in Sarah. “So much excitement!”

“Yeah,” Julian agreed. “We all need to know about the world.”

Eventually, the three professors left the room, and the lights of Dwinelle 145 turned off.

This was going to be an interesting time.


	2. I Want You Around

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chelsea makes some friends, an argument breaks out among the professors, and Julian finds relief in Eddie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to the whistleblowers and journalists mentioned, and the people who support them.
> 
> Originally from: [https://weird-hogwartsrus.tumblr.com/post/185120274415/a-snowflake-fell-i-want-you-around](https://neddie-ramone.tumblr.com/post/185120274415/a-snowflake-fell-i-want-you-around)

“Hey, you see that girl over there?”

“Hmm?”

“That’s Chelsea from POLSCI 5.”

Loraine and Ramona were walking through a forested path past Hertz and Morrison Halls, when they noticed the familiar blonde sat under a tree at the top of a hill. (“The A+ Hill,” previously said the dark-haired student, when she and her French classmate were just under the connection between the two buildings, and Chelsea was only a speck in the distance. “I rolled down there upon my return to Berkeley.”) The place was fairly calm, with the sounds of birds, scurrying squirrels, and a small creek under the bridge. Chelsea was seen sipping through a mason jar, and next to her backpack was a sandwich bag and a container of fruit.

“Why shouldn’t we propose her to join us for lunch? She looks so alone…” suggested Loraine. “I didn’t see anyone speaking with her since the start of courses.”

“I’ve noticed that too. She reminds of someone who I have seen before…” Ramona looked on. “But I don’t know what to say to her…”

“Me either. We can introduce ourselves, though…”

The two girls stood for a few minutes. Suddenly, Chelsea paused with her meal and looked down from the hill.

“Hey, she’s looking in our direction!” whispered Loraine, which was met with a sharp affirmative nod from Ramona.

Eventually, they walked up the hill and joined Chelsea, who beamed at their presence. For five weeks, the first-year had been looking for someone to talk to. And here they were, sitting at either side of her, discussing about life. Chelsea Manning was alone no more.

* * *

Nearby, at the Faculty Club, Julian was sat at a table with Sarah and Kristinn. It was lunchtime, so the place was full with professors, including the three friends, on their breaks. A flat-screen TV hung on a wall, tuned in to a commercial break. However, Julian, Sarah, and Kristinn paid no attention. They were deep into a conversation—

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?”

The three friends turned around to see a bespectacled bearded man. He was Daniel Domscheit-Berg, a German and fellow Political Science instructor who specialised in Comparative Politics.

“No, not at all, go ahead!” Daniel took the seat (which was coincidentally across from Julian).

Suddenly, the commercial break ended, and the 12 o'clock news were on. The four professors winced uncomfortably upon seeing what was on the screen.

“Oh, I hate him.”

The news were reporting on the latest gaffe from the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.

* * *

“A bit nervous about the essay for the class…”

Loraine, Chelsea, and Ramona were halfway through their lunches, and looking at a piece of paper that must be the prompt.

“I know he assigned it at yesterday’s lecture, and it’s not due until two weeks,” said the first-year to her neighbours. “I feel the same as you, though—what do I write about?”

“Hmm…” responded the French girl. “The prompt says that we need to use the readings AND what was covered on the midterm to discuss the reasons of war.”

“I recall it being about theory…” said the dark-haired student. “I’m writing about the Cold War, and there is so much…”

“I’ve been considering the Cold War too,” continued Chelsea. “But World War II is as much of a choice as well.”

“He hasn’t specified which one to choose, just to provide examples,” Loraine took one more glance of the prompt. Ramona shakily moved her fingers. Then Chelsea suggested,

“Well, there’s always office hours…”

* * *

After enduring Trump’s denial and rage, the four professors stayed for the newspeople’s decrying the recent “attack on the press”. Suddenly, Daniel said, “I miss Obama.”

“You’re kidding,” retorted Julian, while Sarah and Kristinn just shook their heads.

“No, I’m serious.”

“I don’t know, Daniel. That president was not particularly friendly towards the press either,” Sarah recalled bringing up the topic in her graduate Journalism class back in 2010 following the War Logs, and it brought a chilling effect. As for the table, Julian gave a sharp nod; Daniel, heat on his face.

“He did at least have intelligence and charisma,” added Kristinn. “Well, the only good traits of him.” Not sure how it would mitigate the tension any longer. “Trump used to have some charisma too—back when he hosted The Apprentice—but he’s not showing any of it now.”

“That’s because he will never be as good as President!” Daniel stood up from his seat, aiming all his volume towards the Aussie.

“Ugh, I don’t know what’s worse!” Julian had also lost his cool. “Shouting ‘You’re Fired!’ to the contestants, or prosecuting the journalists who published the War Logs and jailing the source…”

“At least he commuted her sentence. He can’t be that bad, Julian!”

“That’s like putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound!”

“Julian…” the other two professors tried to pull him away from Daniel, along with some more faculty members who intervened to calm them down, but there was no stopping this screaming match.

“Trump should never have won the election! It should’ve been Hillary!”

“I can’t even stand her! Remember what both candidates said about whistle-blowers?”

“Sure they called both Manning and the NSA whistleblower traitors, but at least Hillary isn’t evil!”

“She’s a war hawk and an elitist!”

“And he’s a fascist pig!”

Both Political Science professors agreed on the horribleness of Donald Trump, but there was no use for Julian to explain further to Daniel why the other side was just as horrible. The only thing he could do was flip out on everyone.

“That’s it! Fuck all of you!”

* * *

Julian was so blinded upon his exit from the Faculty Club, that he did not notice three of his students rolling down A+ Hill.

Just as the girls were about to part ways, Chelsea asked, “I think that was him?”

“Assange?” replied Loraine.

“He looked angerly, though,” Ramona looked on to the storming figure, who had already crossed the bridge and passed the Campanile. “He’s never like that in lecture.”

“Whatever’s happened, let’s hope that he’ll be okay.”

* * *

When Julian finally came back to his senses, he was already at the North Gate of campus. He had walked up the steep slope that passed by the East Asian Library and McCone Hall, and he could see the campus below. The crosslights at Hearst and Euclid Avenues were on sight.

“I can’t believe I’ve walked so far,” he said to himself, as he crossed the street.

At the other side of Hearst were three more school buildings, Etcheverry (a tan-coloured building with a downward alleyway), Jacobs (a new building), and Soda (a green-coloured building resembling a giant staircase). Usually, when Julian needed time alone, he would find an empty classroom to settle until it was occupied by a class or it was time for him to leave home. This day, he chose Soda. He found a small windowless room with a few desks near the third-floor computer lab, and placed a door-stopper to let in the air.

A few seconds into his salad, he heard the door creak open.

“Hello?”

From the sliver of white peeked a pale figure. Julian recognised him right away.

“Hey Edward, what are you doing here?”

“Uh…” the young man shyly looked away, before turning back to the white-haired professor and finding his words. “That’s the exact question I’m asking you!”

“Nothing much, Edward, just a tough day.”

“Oh,” his shoulders slumped a bit. He was certain that the older man needed time to unwind, and Jacob had warned him before that teachers and ITs didn’t mix, yet Julian wasn’t exactly telling him to leave either. “Would you mind if I join you?”

“I won’t mind, come on in!” Julian got up from the desk where he was eating, to open the door for Edward. Inside, the young man was led to a desk next to the Aussie, and sat down.

“It’s great seeing you again,” Julian looked to Edward with a gleam in his eyes. The IT was just taking out from his bag a bottle of water and a pack of Oreos, but he did it with a grace. Once Edward was situated and snacking away, he asked Julian why he was eating alone in this tiny room instead of with his colleagues (he always saw him with the two Journalism and History of Journalism professors, and occasionally with the Political Science department). Julian told him what happened back at the Faculty Club, and his face fell a bit. “Sometimes they piss me off… I got into an argument with Daniel Domscheit-Berg over the news.”

“It happens…” Edward placed a sympathetic hand on Julian’s shoulder. “That stuff can make people delirious!”

Julian nodded. He looked at his shoulder, and took in the hand. It felt so soft! Even though Edward was not in the Faculty Club where the incident took place, Julian had found someone who could understand. He took an Oreo.

“I happen to read Greenwald a lot,” Edward continued. “The media seems to have this obsession with Donald Trump and everything he does wrong. Here’s the thing: I do not particularly like him either. He’s quite repulsive. But each time the media goes berserk when Trump rages about the ‘fake news’, I think, _The same can’t be said about dissenters, as they condemn them for ‘breaking the law’_.”

All of a sudden, Julian remembered why he and Daniel brought up whistle-blowers in the first place. The Army whistle-blower was known (then as Bradley Manning, now as Chelsea Manning), but not the NSA whistle-blower. He was about to ask about that whistle-blower, but Edward already had the answer.

“That’s why I didn’t come forward.”

When the NSA leaks happened back in 2013, the revelations appeared all over the news headlines, the most explosive of its time. Julian, Sarah, and Kristinn would come over to each other’s houses after school, to laugh at the angry intelligence officials demanding the head of the leaker and the newspeople cheerleading them on, because the three friends knew the futility of such a pursuit. The officials ended giving up after autumn, as well as the media, believing that the anonym lost themselves to a life of misery in an even more repressive country. But Julian knew that was not the case for the young IT sitting next to him. At this moment, he commented, “That would have been brave, though.”

“Yeah…” Edward was in a thought. “But also highly risky. I’ve seen what happened to Manning when she was thrust into the public eye, and I didn’t know if I wanted to face the same fate.”

“But now she’s here at Berkeley and enrolled in my class!” Julian shared this piece of information, to Edward’s relief. _Chelsea Manning didn’t live a sad life after all._ Suddenly, as the professor caught sight of the empty cookie pack, he offered the IT some of his salad, “You must be hungry, and I hadn’t touched the food since our conversation…”

“No no, it’s fine,” Edward was reluctant at first, as he wasn’t known to eat much. Yet he watched in awe how Julian split the plastic take-out box in two perfect halves with sheer strength, but how gentle he was with the salad and made sure that the portions were fair. The older man even produced an extra fork out of his bag, which he kept in an inside pocket a collection of forks, spoons, and even knives, still in their plastic wrapping, for times like this. Eventually, Edward would accept his portion of salad, by taking the fork, getting some lettuce, and eating it. “I happen to do it all the time.”

He and his girlfriend were living with a very picky eater yet also a friendly person. Though she would feel bad about leaving what she couldn’t eat to the couple, especially to him who ate lightly, he was used to sharing a plate with others. So, doing it with a salad would be no problem.

As Julian and Edward ate together, they talked about a variety of subjects, such as the University (the professor had been teaching at Berkeley since 2006 and wanted to show around), student life (the IT was taking a stroll through Faculty Glade, when he caught a glimpse of the three girls atop A+ Hill), and even politics (without the 12 o’clock news to fight over, of course). While Edward was more of a reformist and Julian a revolutionary, it seemed they had similar points of view. They both believed that governments should be held accountable for their actions, and even with their different nationalities, they agreed that the two-party system with the Democrats and the Republicans was dupe. Edward mentioned how he used to be supportive of the war in the post 9/11 world, but how slowly he became disillusioned upon the destruction of innocent lives, that he became anti-war. Julian asked Edward about the hoodie he wore the first time they met, and gave a nod at the response regarding the pervasiveness of the surveillance apparatus. And they ended the political chatter with the role of the media and what they should do right (instead of being puppets for the establishment).

Edward had found someone who he could trust, as did Julian. They were soon discussing what they did outside of their work, when they saw the clock on the wall, which read 5:02 pm.

“Geez Professor, how long have we been here?” the IT exclaimed.

“It was a great time, though,” added the professor. “I really enjoyed speaking with you. You have good arguments. As thanks for the company. Please feel free to call me Julian.”

“Okay…Julian.” A blush crept to his snow-white face, giving a pinkish colour to his nose and cheeks, and wasn’t that precious? _Jake told me that we weren’t meant to interact, but this one seems so warm and down to earth, not to mention handsome._ He wondered if he was starting to have feelings for him. Transfixed was he at the thought, that he almost forgot that the other man had already packed the bags for both of them, and that they were headed out of the room and of Soda Hall. The empty pack of Oreos and take-out box halves were long gone in the bin. Then Julian turned to him, “If anything, let’s go!”

Once outside of Soda, the two men passed by Etcheverry and the restaurants, to the crosslights at Hearst and Euclid. After walking down the slope, they stood by Memorial Glade to watch the sunset. A dark figure was overlooking at the top of the stairs of Doe Library, but neither he, Julian, or Edward seemed particularly fazed. Six tall hoops were posted (three on each side) for a round of field Quidditch, farther down were students relaxed on the grass, and behind the trees and Moffitt Library, the sun displayed its last rays for the day before hiding from sight. When the Campanile rang for 6 o’clock, Julian embraced Edward, before leaving for separate ways. Julian made his way through South Hall Rd, down the steps between Moses and Stephens Halls, reaching Barrows Hall where he parked his car, and Edward walked downwards to Moffitt, past the Valley Life Sciences Building, through Eucalyptus Grove and the streets, until arriving to the Downtown Berkeley BART.


	3. Two Sides to the Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Past relationships and confrontations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter that I have not posted anywhere else. The rest of the chapters will posted here from now on.

“Alright, take care.”

The last traces of “Every Time I Eat Vegetables It Makes Me Think of You” faded through a pair of earbuds connected to the modified cell phone, as the young IT finished the conversation with his friend. It was early morning, and the room was silent save for the humming of the ventilation system and Eddie's tapping his fingers on the desk. No one else had called yet, neither over the cellphone or the office phone, so in the meantime he decided to do some work on the computer. But before he could go any further, the door opened and in came a rather giggly Jake.

“I was not expecting this!”

Eddie didn't know what to say. He was aware that under all these cold layers his co-worker could be approachable. But not _that_ much.

“Who knew you were such a romantic?” Jake walked up behind Eddie's chair, and the lad tensed a bit when a sleeved arm wrapped around his lithe frame. “Don't worry, Joey, I'll be gentle.” (It's not in reference to Eddie's middle name.)

Oh, Lord no, Jake overheard the phone conversation between Eddie and his friend! He thought that he would be safe by not having the phone on speaker mode. Apparently, Jake was having his coffee at a bench near the room, and while he did not hear the friend, he tittered each time Eddie spoke as he tried to keep count at each mention of “Joey”, almost spilling the hot cup at “Goddammit Johnny!” He was so surprised to hear such language from Edward Snowden, that he could never exactly figure out the conversation at the other side of the walls. As far as he was aware, “Joey” could've been the friend, perhaps something more, and “Johnny”... His face became serious at the thought.

“It could be worse, I could be catching you with Assange.”

Eddie covered his face with his hands, too embarrassed to do anything else. So that dark figure from Thursday evening was Jake! He tried not to give out any indication that he might have feelings for the professor, but his body could be a damn traitor. Because at that very moment, Jake turned the chair around and held Eddie protectively, with a mortified look on his face.

“Edward, you don't know him as I do!”

“Huh?!”

He let go.

“I…used to date him.”

Jake proceeded to tell the story on how he and the professor met one crazy night at a club, where a couple of drinks and dancing led to them being entwined in each other’s arms. It was a bit risky, considering that he spent the night with someone higher than him in the hierarchy, but the thrill took them both. After that, they would go out to eat, and finish off the nights with passion. He liked him because for once, he was validated. It drove him to fall in love with Julian. Eventually, they spent a holiday in Iceland, where they became close, and upon their return to the US, it seemed that their time together would last. Alas, it came to an abrupt end when the Aussie told him that they could not be in a serious relationship. He felt used. Yet, there was still a small flame burning within him, in remembrance of Iceland. All this time, Eddie had an expression of _why are you telling me?_

Suddenly, the room phone rang.

“I'll get it!” Eddie rushed to answer, leaving Jake tongue-tied.

It was just a few minutes and a nod until Eddie finished the call and hung up. Jake then managed to regain his voice, “Who was it?”

“Sarah Harrison.”

Jake sighed in relief. The British woman was just one or two years older than him, and while they were on amicable terms, he was aware that she’s best friends with his ex-boyfriend. He didn’t know whether or not Harrison got along with Eddie, but caution was advisable. So, as the younger IT made his way out the door, Jake left for him some last words,

“Please be careful.”

* * *

Each weekday was the same, as the white-haired professor climbed up the front stage of Dwinelle 145. He'd just come from lunch with Kristinn and Sarah, and instead of going through the bottom doors he went through the top doors, past the sleeping students at the back rows, earning curious glances from the middle and front rows. It happened in his upper-division and graduate classes as well, though with more students serious about the subject, and in a classroom setting rather than the lecture hall. In a large class as International Relations, though, he doesn't have the scope to look after all of the students, asleep or awake. Yet, there will be some notable cases, that he will pay close attention.

Recently, Julian's been spotting Chelsea with two other girls (Edward's told him), a dark-haired third-year and a French exchange student. They used to sit in the middle rows, but as time went on they moved down to the front where Chelsea always sits. If he observes well enough, he can know them a little better. Chelsea contributes so much to the class, and can be seen helping the students around her. Ramona has an aura of mystery, and always wears a pin with black, grey, white, and purple stripes (usually accompanied by a button that looks like the Great Seal of the United States of America, but he cannot see well what's around the eagle or what it's holding). And Loraine is attentively jotting notes, sometimes turning to Chelsea and Ramona, sometimes asking questions, though there is that gaze… 

She's been doing this ever since three weeks into the semester. Are the other two girls oblivious? The professor didn’t know if she was drinking all his teaching or if he was feeding her lascivious imagination. _Tssss…nice, but not discreet with this type of gaze… Teachers fantasies are so persistent… Never mind…_

Lecture finished Monday afternoon, and the students, though the number slightly thinned because of drop period, still made considerable noise when they exited the doors. Julian came back to his laptop searching the next lesson plan, when a familiar voice called him.

“Errrr…sir?”

_Oh no… Her again… Red cheeks, shiny gaze and stretched smile…_

“Yes Loraine?”

“Just a question… Do you think one day will be the end of Israel-Palestinian war? I mean…”

_Oh dear… Every means are good to spend face-to-face time with me… She’s not the first, and she’ll be not the last…_

“I would like to hear your point of view about it, I’m curious.”

Her smile said a lot… He was pretty sure she asked him a question about the first subject that came to her head. The class covered the Israeli-Palestinian war just today.

“You know, this is a very complicated subject. I don’t have a lot of time before my next course.”

“Maybe we could talk about it later.”

On top of that, the students needed to work on their essays.

“This not against you miss, but I’m not free like my students.”

“I understand. But I just wanted to know, not more.”

As Loraine made her exit, the professor slumped back in his chair. He thought about what would have happened if he gave in to that gaze. Though Loraine was rather attractive, as were her friends, and there would be times where he would have fantasies as well, this type of relationship would have gotten him into a lot of trouble. Not to mention that he would be seeing the students only for a semester, a year, or when they declare the Political Science major.

And it was not just the students. A few colleagues expressed interest, and though that type of relationship was more correct than courting students, Julian turned them down because he was already in a relationship, albeit a troubled one. He loved that Swedish woman, even though she was not exactly in the right state of mind. She was a little jealous at first, but as time passed she became possessive and verbally abusive. She lost her mind upon their eventual break-up, that as of now she resides in a psychiatric hospital. But before the admission, she wanted to take revenge against him. Just after Julian left the relationship, he had a tryst with the older IT Jacob, but it ended sourly when he told him that he was not ready for what was to come. Then he thought of the new arrival Edward. He didn't seem as rancorous as Jacob, as he hadn't picked up the behaviour. He went to pack his belongings, and headed out of Dwinelle 145 with the lights turning off behind him, because Kristinn and Sarah would surely be looking for him.

He was not expecting the sight before him.

* * *

"Edward!"

The IT stood glued to the floor. He knew that baritone voice, but right now he was unsure. Conflicted. Cornered. He's been out of the room since his interaction with Jacob that morning, but the statement _I used to date him_ lingered. He made it to his task with Sarah Harrison after all, to help her out how to operate a new projector in order to show the class a documentary. Since he didn’t see anyone else afterward during lunch, he thought about giving his girlfriend Lindsay a call, to which she answered that she would be staying over at a friend’s house and that she would return the following day with a surprise. He could try meeting with his friend Ramona, once she came out of the POLSCI 5 lecture and hanging out by the window of the floor above, but he would leave that for later. The footsteps were coming closer. If he moved now… But no matter, he needed to know the truth.

"Edward, you look lovely today."

The silver fox was standing right close to him! What could he say? In all honesty, he wasn’t expecting to be complimented like this, especially when he was just in a flannel, jeans, and sneakers, but he didn’t know whether to accept it either. The older man could be lying, but not with the gleam of honesty in his eyes like they did last Thursday in that tiny room at Soda Hall. Upon noticing the questioning look on the young companion’s face, Julian asked, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s just…” This was going to be awkward.

The professor suggested, “If it makes you feel better, we can go to someplace quiet.”

Edward nodded, and went to accompany Julian, as they moved down the hallway to the exit, and stepped out the glass doors. Once outside in the afternoon sun, they passed by the plaza, Wheeler Hall, down Stephens and Moses Halls, and walked inside Barrows Hall. There were some students and staff waiting at the elevator lobby, and when the elevators opened, the two men made their way inside the same one. They stood silent on the ride up to the seventh floor, and at their arrival Edward followed Julian until reaching the door of an office. After fumbling for the keys, Julian opened the door, and they stepped inside.

The office was modestly sized, though three of its walls were lined from top to bottom with books, and his desk was surrounded with some really comfortable chairs. As for the desk itself, there were stacks of papers to review and a couple more books to read as a pastime, in addition to a closed laptop, and a framed photo of him and an older woman who could be his mother. Edward wiped his sweaty palms on the bottom of his flannel, his mind racing upon the realisation that he was finally in Julian’s office!

As much as he wanted to confirm his feelings, what came out of his mouth instead was, “What’s wrong with Jake?”

Julian raised his eyebrows slightly. He was not expecting to be asked about his exes! Edward was starting to regret asking that about Jacob Appelbaum, but to his own surprise the white-haired man was not angry.

“Why did he need to tell me that you two used to date?” There was no turning back anymore. Edward had already heard one part of the story, and he was not coming out of the office without hearing from the other side. Julian took a deep breath.

“Well… I suspect he saw us together…” he began. Edward knew that for a fact. He was a bit scared for the future, too, considering that his co-worker did not take well the sight. Jacob did not exactly hate him, though. He was trying to be friendly. But he did not like that he was protecting him from Julian.

“Jacob’s been like that ever since we broke up,” the professor continued. “I could not be in a serious relationship with him, as much as we loved each other, after the trauma the last one left me.”

“What kind of trauma?”

The Aussie’s gaze grew dark.

“I don’t want to talk about it…” he said with a note of bitterness. “It poisoned my life for many years. So please...don’t force me to speak about this.”

Edward could see his hands trembling. Curious by nature, he wanted to know more about Julian. At the same time, his curiosity was also his defect. In his past job, he encountered information that he would find disturbing. Here in his new job, though he maintained a low profile, in these few weeks, he would not only give his co-worker an attack, but it was also probable that he had struck a nerve or two within the white-haired man. He felt guilty about the other question.

“Excuse me Julian…”

“It’s ok…” The expression on his face suddenly softened, but not much for his voice. “You don’t know, it’s better like this.”

They looked on in silence. Julian noticed that Edward was wiping his glasses, his head bowed down. The setting, of the two of them in the office, would have been perfect! He couldn't blame him for asking. Rather, he was angry at his exes for making him feel like he was a bad person. He wanted to hunt down Jacob and grab him by the neck…but the moral part of him said no. He would not. He must keep calm. Edward was still here, and though he was not talking, his body was screaming for some consolation. That gave Julian an opportunity.

Once he calmed down, he moved closer to where Edward was, and wrapped his arms around the slim body, careful as to not overwhelm or smother him. What used to be a moment of tension was melted away, replaced with soothing sweetness. The smaller man looked up into those kind eyes, before leaning on his shoulder. While they were just friends, something about holding Edward felt _right_. After a long time, Julian felt ready for it. He wanted to go further with this angel. But if he rushed, it would scare him away. There was still the issue with the resentful ex-boyfriend that he needed to deal with, and he didn't want his friend to be miserable. So, without further ado,

“Don't worry, I’ll do something.”

* * *

The older IT was quietly coming back to the department office after helping Daniel Domscheit-Berg when a too familiar voice called behind him.

“Jake, can I talk to you please?”

He turned around.

“Oh Julian...what a surprise,” said the American with unmasked sarcasm.

After they entered the room, Jacob closed the door. The other IT was not in sight, and he insinuated that Julian had something to do with it. The Australian stood in a towering rage, and his voice was hard, like the lash of a whip.

“What did you say to Edward?”

“Say what?” asked Jacob, unfazed.

“About our past story.”

“Oh, that? I’ve just said it…as it is.”

“Don”t play innocent, Jake… I see you’re still spiteful because of our break-up.”

“I just explained who you are.”

Julian resisted the urge to slap Jacob. He was sick of taking the snide remarks and the constant reminders that he was not to be trusted, but as much as he wanted to take that expression off Jacob's face, he felt no need to resort to physical violence. He did, however, raise his voice.

“What’s your problem with that?! I've apologized a hundred times, I'm sorry to break your heart and I know I should have been more clear. What you want now? A huge 'SORRY JAKE' sculpted into white marble in the center of the campus? Do you want I flagellate myself and repeat 'Sorry Jake' again and again?! Turn the page now, look at the future, and don’t talk about us anymore, understand?”

“Or what?…”

Julian didn’t answer. He turned back without saying “have a nice evening” or “see you tomorrow” or “fuck you”, and shut the door.

“I’m in a 90’s sitcom or what?” he said in his mind. “The day started well, and it ended badly… Why did it have to be this way?”


	4. It’s Not for Me to Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward finds some disturbing information...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the shortest chapters in this work.

Edward was on his bed, taking a nap. His bag was next to him, and his laptop was charging on the bedside table. Working on the computers and the school system had been the easy part. Interacting with the people around him, however, was more difficult. His co-worker had not talked much the entire week, maybe a couple greetings and no more sarcasm. That would explain something. But he didn’t see the white-haired professor either since the meeting in his office. He knew his housemate was taking POLSCI 5, but there was no point asking her about him now that she’d gone to Los Angeles right after her MATH 55 (Discrete Mathematics) class. Anyways, Edward’s had a long Friday, and he was glad to be back home.

Meanwhile, the bedroom door opened. From the sliver of light Lindsay whispered, “Ramona’s on the bus already. She won’t be back ‘til Sunday.” Then, she closed the door once again.

An hour and a half later, Edward woke up from his nap, and decided to go to his still plugged-in laptop. Since he wasn’t working at these hours, initially, he was going to try out some code, perhaps a new way to ensure the privacy of his communications (even though he didn’t have to worry about, uh, the NSA coming after him anymore). Or maybe, he could kill time by reading the news (and making fun of Donald Trump, because seriously, even the more reputable publications can tell there’s everything wrong with him). However, he had more pressing matters than that. Particularly, what’s up with Julian Assange?

Using his past experience, Edward scoured for information he could about the man who had his interest since the beginning of the school year. The university website was the starting point, and he went to the Political Science department page where Julian was listed as a faculty member. His bio was in a similar format as Daniel Domscheit-Berg and the others, and listed a school e-mail. _What else does he use his school e-mail for?_ the young IT thought.

Realising that Julian didn’t use the school e-mail for anything other than the intended purpose of education, Edward tossed out the thought. However, he did not stop from there. Julian had to have a life outside of the university! What were his other interests, aside from the subject he taught? Where did he go to after the last class was over? What other Julian Assanges were out there? Eventually, he struck gold when he found the archived pages of a couple social media profiles and a blog.

Julian had been in the dating game as early as the 2000s, and he would recount his adventures over the Internet. They were similar to what Edward used to post on Ars Technica, with paragraphs on the workings of the mind and photos of a white-haired, drop-dead gorgeous Australian in full colour. Sometimes Julian would be photographed with another person, presumably a friend or a partner, but the thing is that he never seemed to settle down. While he did not post about Jacob on his blog, he did about a woman from Sweden, and he hadn’t updated ever since.

It started out well enough. Julian once had a penchant for one-night stands, but with this woman he was ready for a long-term relationship. She was pretty, had a stable job, and shared relative ideologies. But then, a couple months into the relationship, Edward noticed that something was off. There were no more deep meanings, no more friends. Sure, the couple may have appeared to be enjoying themselves, but the writing no longer sounded like Julian. Usually, Edward wouldn’t have a problem talking about his girlfriend when people asked, but looking through the posts on the blog they were all about the Swedish woman and only her. It was not until the last post where Julian finally returned to himself, though bittersweetly. There was no photo, and the couple broke up, due to prolonged verbal abuse, stalking, and an accusation of rape, not how they would make that last post any less disturbing.

After the incident, Julian shut down his accounts. However, the archived pages were there to stay, and there was no hiding from the shocked geek watching in front of the laptop screen.

“Ed, _The Oath_ is on!” Lindsay called from the hall.

“Coming, dear!”

He was going to need a thorough cleansing of his soul.

* * *

The next morning, Edward left the empty house for breakfast. It was the weekend, and while the eateries were not necessarily packed, there were still a considerable amount of people who like him decided not to cook. He may have lived around the area longer than he worked in his new IT job, but even he didn’t know where to eat out that wasn’t crowded. For a moment he spotted a quiet cafe, but when he noticed a certain white-haired man as one of the customers, he walked away as far as he could. He was a couple steps near an alley when he stopped in his tracks. _Why was he suddenly avoidant? Was he going to be raped?_ In the middle of turbulent thinking, he bumped into someone he knew _too_ well.

Jacob.

Edward wanted to make a run back home, even if it meant spending the rest of the day alone. However, Jacob, being the sharp man that he is, was not going to let him slip away.

“Hey,” the older American approached him. Edward returned a confused look. “Looking for a place to eat too?”

“Yeah…” he could only say.

The two men stood for some long silent minutes. Jacob studied Edward’s face awaiting a response, but each time he would avert his gaze. However, it was clear to him that the younger American was not going anywhere. Jacob surveyed the eateries, and seeing that they hadn’t changed much, offered to him, “Well, since they’re not going to be less crowded anytime soon, let’s go eat at my place.”


	5. Questions and Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward, Jacob, and Julian reach an understanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of the most emotional subjects we've handled.

It was 8 o’clock in the morning when the café opened its doors, and the first customers stepped inside. Ever since Julian, Sarah, and Kristinn became close friends, they had taken up the weekend tradition of going to a food place and engaging in conversation. This particular café they were at, the Guerilla Café, they frequented for its ambience, great food (they were particularly fond of the Breakfast/Waffle of the Day), fair-trade coffee, and best of all, no TV blaring out CNN. Upon making their orders, they sat a few tables away from the window, and talked about life.

When their orders arrived at the table, the café had a few more customers, and the streets started to fill with people. Halfway through the breakfast, Sarah suddenly said, “I think I saw him…” The three friends turned to the café window, but could only see a faint blur before disappearing. Then, she said before returning to her plate of waffles, “Never mind, he’s gone.”

This piqued Julian’s interest, as he asked Sarah, “Who was that?”

“It was the pale one.”

Without much thought, Julian’s lips formed a half-smile. 

“There’s not a lot of people as bright around here,” added Kristinn.

While not specified, Julian had an idea who it was. He had not been able to see Edward since Monday, as he had to see his students. How he yearned to be with him again.

“Guys, he looked scared. As if he was trying to avoid someone.”

His face dropped. What was happening?

“Julian…” The friends noticed that something was wrong.

“That fucking lie is ruining my life.”

_Julian was deeply in love with Anna, a blonde Swedish woman. They met in the bus when Anna was being harassed by a boorish guy who thought that commenting on her breasts and wanting to put his cock into her were a ‘compliment’. The Aussie helped her and put the guy in his place._

_She thanked him with a coffee. Months later, they fell in love and started living together._

_But quickly, Anna became jealous. Jealous about Julian’s female friends, especially Sarah. She asked constantly about his relations with every girl, which became more intrusive. It reached the point where she would check his phone, monitor his email, and follow him in the Uni. This biased perception made her think he was unfaithful. In her mind, he fucked every woman he talked about, teachers as well as students._

_And one day, the argument was too much._

_Julian came back to the flat and was welcomed by a plate crashing against the wall._

_“Oh Anna! Are you mad?!” he reacted with a start._

_“I saw you!” a shrill scream resounded through the residence. “I saw you with Sarah!!”_

_That was definitely not good at all._

_“You said you would come back immediately after courses! And I saw you having coffee with this bitch!”_

_“Anna! Respect Sarah.”_

_“For how long you fucked her?”_

_“I don’t 'fuck her'. We’re just friends—” But he was interrupted._

_“This is why you didn’t want to make love to me last night!”_

_“Nooooo I was tired and you know it.”_

_The argument continued for the rest of the evening._

_It was enough! Julian climbed the stairs, took a backpack and started to fill it with his clothes. Anna became paler and asked,_

_“Wha...what are you doing?”_

_“I’m leaving… I’m tired of your jealousy.”_

_She fell to his feet and caught his legs into his arms. She started crying._

_“Please...stay…”_

_“You need to heal…”_

_“Heal? But...if I’m like that this is because I love you!”_

_“I’m sorry Anna, but this is not love…”_

_He tried to get rid of her embrace. She cried more and more._

_“Please! Don’t do that! No!”_

_“Enough!!!”_

_After freeing himself from Anna’s grasp, Julian left the flat. The screams echoed through the corridor and into his head. The decision hurt his heart, but his now ex-girlfriend had a real problem with her jealousy and needed psychiatric help. Many times he had talked about it with her, but every time it finished with shouts. He never wanted to leave her, but she overstepped the line. He hoped his leaving shocked and drove her to change._

_But instead, it started a real nightmare…_

_Anna was still shouting in the bedroom. She now hated him. With rage, she ripped her shirt, took off her pants, messed up her hair, and ran out the residence._

_She arrived to the police station, fell onto the desk upon entering, and wailed,_

_“My ex-boyfriend raped me!!!!”_

“But you didn’t rape her!” The friends looked at Julian with wide eyes. They knew about the stormy relationship, and the accusation couldn’t be true. Julian has had previous partners before Anna, and they didn’t show any signs of abuse.

“Not everyone knows the truth as we do,” he said forlornly. “I’m pretty sure they think I’m able to force anybody to have sex.”

The mood was low after that. Usually, Julian would finish his breakfast at the café, but this time he hadn't touched his plate except for a couple forkfuls. That was worrying. Then, Kristinn said, “Personally, I never liked that woman.” Sarah nodded in agreement, having been at the receiving end of the Swede’s verbal abuse. Kristinn had his share with these types of women as well (though replace “rapist” with “violent drunk”), so he knew that the relationship between Julian and Anna would be a disaster. Even when she wasn’t glaring at all the women Julian interacted with, there was something _wrong_. Julian didn’t notice at the time, as he was head over heels with Anna…

“Should I request for a take-out box?” Sarah asked, to which Julian agreed. He couldn’t eat any more, but he didn’t want to leave those waffles to waste. Being a generous person, he could give the box to a person in need. Or maybe, he could search around the city and see if he could find the new arrival. As the friends made their way out of the cafe, Julian thought,

_If only it were that simple. Oh, Eddie._

* * *

Throughout the bus ride, Eddie sat with Jake at the back seats, just away from the air conditioner. He wondered why his co-worker was suddenly being nice to him, especially after the story dump last Monday. Jake didn’t even flinch, when a couple stops into the ride Eddie went to lean on his shoulder. While he was not exactly afflicted with motion sickness or fatigue, something about it felt oddly comforting. Yeah… He missed this type of contact each time Lindsay was gone from home.

The couple met a long time ago in Maryland through an online dating site, where users were rated based on hotness. She was a smouldering blonde, a college student who had her own photography blog. He was recovering from his broken legs after his failed stint in the Army, and was about to step foot (with help of his crutches) into the intelligence community. After a series of conversations they agreed to meet in life.

Lindsay was dating two guys before Ed, but thanks to his charm she entered the relationship. Of all the girls Lindsay was the first whom Ed had genuine feelings for, and he wanted to take things slow before getting into the act. It seemed to work out in the start. But then, the period turned to years, and although Lindsay enjoyed the affections from Ed, the lack of intercourse, not to mention the secrecy that came with working for the CIA and the NSA, drove the poor girl crazy. Eventually, the couple agreed to an open relationship.

Ed loved Lindsay, even when she went to satiate her sexual appetite elsewhere. For that very reason, he had no need to spy on her. Not even when she partook in pole dancing, and when she posted her boudoir photos on the Internet. At the same time, Ed felt lonely during those absences, but no matter, he had a job to do. Lindsay knew a bit about what her boyfriend did for a living, having “practised” with him for the polygraph test, among other things. So, it was no surprise that after years of being disappointed by the wrongdoings of the government, Ed gathered the NSA documents and sent them anonymously to the press.

Years after eluding death by the angry intelligence officials, Ed decided to start a new life. He now lived with Lindsay in Berkeley, with a new IT job at the university and a nice 2-bedroom house on the hills overlooking the city. And to have some company, the couple would offer the unused room for a college student to stay the year. That student would eventually be Ramona. 

With the housemate, Eddie could tell her anything. He and Lindsay were impressed by the advanced math classes Ramona was taking for her major, but a week into the semester Eddie took notice of the Political Science class she was taking for breadth as well. He did start to have feelings for the white-haired professor, after all. As far as he was aware, Ramona hadn't told anyone else, not even the two girls who accompanied her for the class. In the meantime, Eddie and Julian were just friends. He didn't know if he was ready to go further with him, though, considering he was still with Lindsay, and he became scared at the prospect of being with someone accused of rape. He thought about telling his dark-haired friend about the disturbing information he found last afternoon. But she was gone for the weekend.

Suddenly, Jake pressed the nearest button to signal for the stop. He and Eddie got up from their seats to the back door, before the bus stopped and they made their exit. A few blocks away from the bus stop, the two men arrived at a colourful multi-storey apartment building. As Eddie looked around the place, Jake said,

“Well, here we are.”

* * *

The friends were at the park, after a long walk up Cedar then through Euclid, and Julian was facing the Rose Garden at the other side of Euclid. They had been there before, and the roses were undoubtedly beautiful, but this day was not the day.

Julian needed to get over Anna. He needed to get over the lovesickness, jealousy, abuse, and nightmare. However, it left him so traumatized, he couldn’t be in a serious relationship with Jacob, and it may have ruined his chances of being with Edward. Surely Kristinn and Sarah didn't know about his feelings for the new arrival. He had only been with him three times, and now he was avoiding him? The younger American did mention briefly about his past in the IC when they were in that tiny room at Soda Hall, so he may have found out about the accusation, one way or another. That thought, frankly, terrified him.

* * *

Eddie had not been in anybody’s residence since his arrival at Berkeley. There were other houses around where he lived, but he rarely came out except for work and when Lindsay took him outdoors, so the neighbours viewed him as sort of a recluse. Thus, it was to his surprise that Jake let him into his studio apartment.

The place was typical of a nerd's, with computer cables everywhere and stuff from conventions Jake's attended. The living room, in particular, was illuminated by neon lights, and the sofa had a stack of alternative magazines featuring sexy men and women. Eddie sat on the sofa, and picked up one of the magazines to pass the time, while Jake rummaged through the refrigerator in the kitchen to fix breakfast.

"Okay, I have eggs to go along with toast," Jake called out.

"That's fine," Eddie responded. He wanted something simple today.

The sounds and smells of cooking soon filled the room. Meanwhile, the magazine Eddie was reading looked like something up his _friend’s_ alley. That would take his mind off Julian for a while…

Eventually, Jake came out of the kitchen with two plates of eggs and toast, and he and his guest headed to the table.

  


It was later that day, when the subject of Julian was brought up. They were just typing away on their laptops in the living room, occasionally stopping for break. Jake did not forget the confrontation he had with the white-hair last Monday, and so he asked Eddie, “You’re not in a relationship with him yet?”

The younger man shook his head. It was too soon, and besides, he needed clarification before he could go any further with the Aussie. Particularly, the rape accusation.

“Hey, Jake, would you mind taking a look at this?”

Eddie turned his laptop around so that Jake could see, and showed the older American the last post before the blog's deletion. In past interactions Jake would be bitter about his break-up with Julian, and in all honesty he did not want the same to happen to the new arrival. This time, though, he read through the post and went, “This is strange.”

Eddie was trying to process the new information. While Jake was Julian’s ex, even he didn’t agree with that accusation! He hadn’t known about the blog until now, and he’s never met the Swedish woman. When Eddie asked if there were any signs during the previous relationship, Jake answered, “Julian was dominant in bed, but he never forced me and he respected when I didn’t want sex.”

The night of the break-up, the Aussie had tried to explain to the furious Jake why they couldn’t be in a serious relationship. However, the American had stormed out before Julian could tell him that the last time he was in this type of relationship, his abuser had the nerve to essentially ruin his life! He regretted leaving the man without understanding about the ordeal he’s gone through, but to be fair the white-hair didn’t tell him about it either. He was sad that his ex would be moving on with Eddie. It was as if he wasn’t good enough…

“Jake, are you alright?” the younger man broke him out of his reverie.

“Yeah?” He managed to wipe off a tear that dared spill out. “It’s just…”

Eddie could sense a loneliness in Jake. The poor guy has not been able to date anyone else since the break-up. He had shown him the last blog post because he was the only other person he knew who was familiar with Julian outside of the lecture hall, but he did not feel rancour as it might have been intended. He was heartbroken, yes, but it was amazing that Eddie did the research and not merely proceeded with the relationship. Eddie, in turn, would put aside the rape accusation, because Julian was not a rapist. He was anxious, though, as Julian did not want him to find out about the trauma. How would the man react…

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

No response.

“Is anybody there?” a muffled voice sounded through the wood, the accent unmistakable. Jake, noticing Eddie’s expression, said to him, “I’ll go.”

Eddie watched as Jake walked across the living room and opened the door. There stood Julian Assange, with the same white hair and the same clothes since this morning. He regarded the man in front of him, before locking eyes with the young one.

“Edward!”

“Julian, don’t scare him,” Jake tried to calm down the exasperated Aussie, but he was insistent. This morning did quite a number on his nerves. Eddie wasn’t sure if he was ready to face him. He was still sitting in the living room, and if he didn’t act soon Jake might get crushed by Julian. 

“Edward, I was worried!” The white-hair desperately awaited a response from Eddie, and when the young one didn’t, he made grab for the man in front of him. “Jake, what did you say to him? I thought we’ve talked about this!”

“He was lonely,” Jacob said as he struggled to free from Julian’s grip. “He came because he had a piece of information to show me…”

Soon enough Julian let go of the man. It hurt him to grab his ex like that, and he made a mental note not to smother Edward when he was feeling these very strong emotions. Especially when he found out about the accusation!

“I didn’t know about it either.”

Julian sighed. He was usually an honest person, but he could not tell anyone—aside from his friends—what that woman did to him. He thought that he was protecting Jacob and Edward by not having them know, but instead it killed his relationship with Jacob, and Edward got hold of that disturbing information anyways. There was no way to undo the damage. He returned to the young one in the living room. “You don’t hate me, do you?”

“No?” Edward finally responded. Julian was still concerned, though, so he added, “No, I don’t hate you. Sorry I caused so much distress.”

Jacob then looked up to the white-hair, “I may have said some things about you after we broke up. I hadn’t expected to find Eddie today. But I’m glad you guys came.” And to the surprise of all, Jacob wrapped his arms around the tall man. Even with what happened between them, he remained in love with Julian.

While this was happening, Edward had packed away his laptop and other belongings in his bag. He thought about borrowing the magazine as well, for his friend, which he promised to return to its owner when they met again. He headed to the door where the other two men were. After all that time, he was finally ready to be with Julian.

Seeing Edward next to him, Jacob let go of Julian and motioned the young one over to him. He was kinda small when he and Jacob met on the first day of the school year, and with Julian he was even smaller. To Julian, Jacob said, “Please take great care of Eddie.”

"I will." Julian looked at Edward, who was leaned up to him with a grin flitting across his face. After he said goodbye to Jacob, he and the angel walked through the corridor, arm in arm.


	6. Turn the Pages

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An innocent afternoon together…and a not-so-innocent night alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another short chapter, folks!
> 
> So months ago, the authors were discussing about a scene involving a cute Harry Potter plush, which would be featured in this chapter.
> 
> The fic, though there isn't a fixed school year, originally began on 29 October 2018, and the story is loosely based on this time period.

The students had already left the lecture hall on Wednesday afternoon. The only person remaining was the white-haired professor, who was packing away his belongings and tidying up the stage. It had been an interesting conversation a couple hours ago, as the lesson was on global policy. The three girls, that were Loraine, Ramona, and Chelsea, sat in the front rows as usual, though something was different. Chelsea still participated in the class, Ramona maintained the aura of mystery, but whatever happened to that gaze on Loraine that had been concerning the professor for weeks? No matter, he would plan on grading the essays when he arrived home.

Ever since the fateful weekend at Jacob’s apartment, life had taken an interesting turn for Julian. While he was spending time with Kristinn and Sarah, he was also seeing Edward more often, even in passing to exchange greetings before heading to their jobs. After the incident with Daniel, he was not obliged to have lunch with the Political Science department every day at the Faculty Glade except for important meetings. He was noticeably happier, too, which the friends were glad for. As for their question about what happened with the new arrival, he answered,

“Yes, he was avoiding me, but we’ve got it resolved.”

  


Yesterday, Julian and Edward strolled through the forested path past Hertz and Morrison Halls while holding hands, when they overheard some familiar voices from the hill.

“Assange has someone?”

“Yes, in love with a man…”

“No problem, I’ve calmed down on my crush.”

  


As soon as everything was in place, Julian got off the stage and climbed the steps of the empty seats until reaching the double-doors to the exit.

* * *

“This is going to be interesting, it really is…” Ramona said to Eddie earlier this day.

The young IT was done with his last task and made his way to the exit. Jake had already left some minutes ago, so it was Eddie’s turn to turn off the lights and lock the office. Once he was out into the hallway, though, he was met by surprise.

Julian was standing next to the door, which was not usual for faculty. Like him on the first day of classes, the faculty members would call technical service, but they rarely came right to the office. Rather, it was the students, especially the freshmen and the Computer Science majors who could use some help. The faculty did not necessarily look down on him as his co-worker warned on the first day of school, but this one was different.

“Come here, Edward,” Julian motioned the lad closer to him.

They did not go through the glass doors as the previous time they met, but they weren’t going to get lost in the labyrinth either. Rather, they took the wide stairs to the bottom level, where they could see the other doors of Dwinelle 145. After walking past the classrooms, they went through a bright-lit passageway that would lead to the exit beside the Durham Studio Theater. This exit would also take them to one of the more scenic routes of the campus and the Eucalyptus Grove. Upon reaching the West Gate of campus and crossing Oxford St., they passed the shops and restaurants, until reaching a large window at Shattuck Ave., which displayed various toys and games, including a large set of Cards Against Humanity. They walked inside.

In tune with the season, this shop was decked for Halloween, as seen by the articles on sale. Fake spiderwebs and spiders covered some of the stands, the shelves were lined with paper cutouts, accompanied with some jack-o-lanterns, and whatnot. Edward looked at a shelf of action figures, some of them of famous monsters, that he couldn’t pick just one. It was a large place, and for a moment he thought that he had lost Julian among the shoppers. But all of a sudden, he felt something come up behind him, to which he turned around.

Julian held in his hands, a really cute plush of one of Edward’s favourite characters. The boy wizard had the round glasses, the thunderbolt-shaped scar on his forehead, and he was wearing the Hogwarts uniform. Edward grew up with geek toys adorning the shelves and bed of his house (he still did), and this particular plush would be no exeption. While he was aware that Harry Potter was a children’s series, he enjoyed the magical adventures even as an adult.

“He looks like you,” Julian said. There was no denying that, as Edward’s cheeks turned a pink hue. He looked like Harry played by Daniel Radcliffe from the movies. Good times.

Soon enough, the two men were at the checkout, and eventually they made their way out the shop. Once outside, Edward was facing the BART station entrance at the other side of the crosslights, when Julian said to him, “Here you go,” and gave him the paper bag with the Harry Potter plush inside.

“All right Julian, I'll see you tomorrow,” Edward took the bag with him, holding it in his hands with great care in remembrance of this afternoon, before crossing the street and heading underground to the station.

* * *

The white-hair was back in his modest abode, resting in bed after an evening of grading papers as he had originally planned. He enjoyed the time he spent with Edward, and he was content that the Harry Potter plush he bought went to the right person. But, what if instead of the BART, he took the young man home with him so that he could stay for the night…

_After putting the used dinner plates in the kitchen sink, Julian walked to the wooden dining table for one last detail when someone came up behind him and wrapped their flannel sleeved arms around his torso. He knew exactly who the person was, and as soon as he turned around he took the moment to appreciate the sight before leaning into Edward for a kiss._

_The brown eyes were wide with surprise at first, but eventually Edward let them flutter closed as he returned the kiss. Things got heated pretty quickly, and Julian pushed the smaller man up against the table, his hands roaming up and down the lithe body between him and the wood. The sensations were incredible—him writhing through the fabric, the vibrations as his lips made their way down the neck, the soft skin under the flannel—and something hot and hard pressing against his own._

_“Julian,” Edward whispered breathlessly._

_“Mmm-mmm,” he purred, teeth grazing the skin just above the neck mole. “Love how my name sounds in your voice.”_

_“Julian!” he called out this time, consumed by the need that inflamed him._

_“Just like that, Eddie.”_

_“Juliaaannhh…”_

He woke up with an unmistakable erection poking beneath the bed sheets. He was not usually so shy when it came to those kinds of thoughts, now that these dark days were a distant memory, but… How was he going to explain that to _Eddie_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Currently, this fic is rated Mature. As the fic progresses in the next chapters, it might be changed to the Explicit rating.


End file.
